Every year, restaurants and bars across the country are filled with excitement when the James Beard Foundation announces the top chefs, restaurateurs and beverage professionals competing for its coveted awards. The semifinalists, announced today, are the first announcement in a series of them, with Los Angeles-area restaurants and individuals racking up two dozen nominations.
Of these semi-finalistsNominees will be announced on March 31, while winners will be announced and awarded at a June 15 ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Now in its 40th year, the foundation was established in honor of the chef of the same name who started his own culinary school, authored numerous cookbooks, and proselytized whole-food cooking. The awards, which were first given in 1991, tend to influence businesses for restaurants, even for those who don't make it to the finalist round. According to the foundation, a 2025 survey revealed that 96% of semi-finalists reported an increase in business after the announcements.
Baroo chef and owner Kwang Uh, right, is a semifinalist in the Best Chef: California category. Here he is with his wife and business partner, Mina Park, at their Arts District restaurant in 2024.
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
For some, it marks recognition in a new era. Kwang Uh received its first semifinalist nod in 2016, when its advanced-fermentation Korean restaurant Baroo was a counter-ordering spot next to a 7-Eleven in East Hollywood in the race for best new restaurant in the state. Today, he earned his second semifinalist honor as California's Best Chef for his work at a new, more formal Baroo, widely praised for its creativity and modern Korean tasting menu. It was the LA Times' 2024 Restaurant of the Year and regularly appears on the Times' list of the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles.
Uh learned the news in a call from his wife, Baroo co-owner Mina Park, while he was heading to the Arts District restaurant to prepare for the evening's dinner service.
“I am very grateful,” he said. “At the same time, the question arises: 'Am I really worth it?' But I am very grateful.”
The semifinalist nomination came as a surprise to Uh, as he said many people are responsible for the restaurant's success, including his staff, Park, customers, his family and other chefs, all of whom inspire him.
Los Angeles-area chefs have won this category for the past three years: Jon Yao of Kato in 2025, Maynard Llera of Kuya Lord in 2024 and Justin Pichetrungsi of Anajak Thai Cuisine in 2023.
This year's category for best chef in California includes, in addition to Uh: Angelenos David Beran by Seline and Pasjoli; Brian Dunsmoor of Dunsmoor; Sara Hymanson and Sarah Kramer of Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie; Andrés and Michelle Muñoz from Moo's Craft Barbecue; and Carlos Namba of Camelia, Ototo and Tsubaki.
Beyond Los Angeles, others in the race are Eric Bost Carlsbad's Lilo, Jeune et Jolie, Campfire and Wildland; Tara Monsod from Animae and Le Coq of San Diego; Vietnamese Nguyen from Fountain Valley restaurant group Nep Cafe and Kei Concepts; Margaret Ryan Bell's and Companion Hospitality Group of Los Alamos; Emma Lipp and Stephanie Reagor from the Valley Bar & Bottle and the Valley Swim Club in Sonoma; Eric Alexander and Courtney Macdonald Auburn's Josephine Restaurant and Four Tines Farm; Zareen Khan from Zareen's in Palo Alto, Redwood City and Mountain View; Fik and Reka Saleh from the Fikscue artisanal barbecue in Alameda; Oakland Sarah Cooper and Alan Hsu by Sun Moon Studio and Geoff Davis of Burdell; and in San Francisco, Kim Alter from Night Bird; Harrison Cheney of Sons and Daughters; Brandon Rice of Ernesto; and Kosuke Tada of Mijoté.
Moo's Craft Barbecue owners Andrew and Michelle Muñoz at their barbecue destination in Lincoln Heights in 2022.
(Shelby Moore / For The Times)
When Michelle Muñoz heard the news, she screamed so loudly that her husband, and co-owner of Moo's Craft Barbecue, thought something was wrong.
The husband and wife team were named semi-finalists in the category in 2023, but never imagined they would be considered again.
“When you don't expect it and then you get the news, it feels so good,” she said, adding, “It reminds us that staying focused and grounded over time really matters. This is a huge win, not just for Andrew and me, but for our entire staff and for the community and everyone who continues to support us. It's hard to talk about it without getting emotional.”
Two chefs from Los Angeles are also competing for the national featured chef category: Holbox and Chichén Itzá. Gilberto Cetina yn/naka yn/soto Niki Nakayama. Michael Tuskof Quince from San Francisco, is also a semifinalist. The semi-finalists and nominees in this category not only set high culinary standards, but also serve as positive examples in the industry.
For the outstanding restaurant category, only one Los Angeles restaurant is in the running: Chad Colby's Italian destination Old Newin Larchmont. San Francisco Foreign cinema is the only other state semifinalist.
Fátima Júarez, co-owner of Komal, works the line in the kitchen of her restaurant and mill combination in 2024.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
And in the emerging chef category, which highlights chefs of “exceptional talent, character and leadership ability, and who [are] “It is likely to have a significant impact in the coming years,” two names from the Los Angeles area are recognized: Fatima Juarez of the historic South-Central Komal, and José Olmedo Carles Rojas of Venice's Yes! Mon. Further north Steve Joofrom Oakland's Joodooboo, is also a contender.
Los Angeles is also home to two contenders in the category of best new restaurant: modern Korean tasting menu. Kiin Little Tokyo and California izakaya RVR in Venice. The happy cranein San Francisco, he is the only other semifinalist from California.
The outstanding restaurateur category recognizes those who use their business “as a vehicle to build community, demonstrate[s] creativity in entrepreneurship and integrity.” fox holly and Adam Weisblatt of Last Word Hospitality, which operates Found Oyster, Rasarumah, Queen's and Barra Santos in Los Angeles, plus The Copper Room in Yucca Valley and Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown, are the only Southern Californians represented. In the bay area Srijith Gopinathan and Ayesha Thapar de Ettan, Copra and Eylan are semi-finalists, as are Stuart Briosa and Nicole Krasinski of the Atomic Workshop.
Long Beach Bread Tastenominated for outstanding bakery for the past two years, is a semifinalist in the category and the only representative from California this year.
Hannah Ziskin of Quarter Sheets of Echo Park is the only Southern California baker in the Featured Pastry Chef or Baker category. In Oakland, Feybesse Cakes Monique and Paul Feybesse They are also in contention.
Middle Eastern family restaurant Ammatoli in Long Beach is a semi-finalist for its excellent hospitality, as is the three-Michelin-starred seafood tasting menu restaurant Providence in hollywood San Francisco Prime Rib House is the only other contender in the state.
katoin the Arts District, it is the only restaurant or bar in Southern California that offers an excellent wine and other beverage program, but just up the coast, in Montecito, is Carusoand further north is San Francisco progress.
The mangoned margarita at Daisy Margarita Bar in Sherman Oaks, photographed in 2025.
(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)
No Los Angeles-area bar is competing for best bar this year, although San Diego's Kingdom of the 52 Remedies and from san francisco Smuggler's Cove are.
Sherman Oaks Margarita Margarita BarHowever, it is nominated for the best new bar award, as is the one in San Francisco. the valley club.
Jason Leeof West Hollywood's Darling, is the only Southern Californian recognized as a leading professional in cocktail service; San Francisco Kevin Diedrichof Pacific Cocktail Haven, is the only other semifinalist in the state.
The outstanding beverage service professional category can recognize much more than alcohol, and Los Angeles's only contender is proof of that: Jack Benchakulfrom Chinatown's Endorffeine coffee shop, received his first nod as a James Beard semifinalist this year. The only other California semi-finalists can be found in restaurants: Paul Einbund of the Morris of San Francisco, and Derek Stevenson of the Calistoga Auro.
Find the full list of 2026 James Beard Foundation Award semi-finalists here.
